There is disagreement as to whether the earth's "reservoir" of food, minerals, and energy is at a safe level. It is clear, however, that the earth's capacity to absorb human and industrial waste—its carrying capacity—has reached critical limits in many parts of the world. This is especially true for the industrialized countries of Western Europe, Japan, and the United States. All three types of conventional pollution—land, air, and water—are more pronounced in the developed world.
Occasionally people react negatively to the word "ecology." For these people the word implies an excessive or overzealous concern for the environment and the flora and fauna therein and evokes visions of a return to the "good old days" at the expense of any kind of progress. Ecology, however, is simply the study of ecosystems. This definition provides a unified framework for a discipline that integrates such areas as population ecology, community ecology, evolutionary ecology, environmental ecology, behavioral ecology, mathematical ecology, marine ecology, and human ecology. Like other disciplines, ecology has adopted the systems approach, which has unified and redefined the field by emphasizing a holistic viewpoint, wherein ecology is thought of as the study of populations and communities as a whole in relation to one another and to their total environment. 1
Ecological awareness has changed managerial thinking about production processes and industrial growth. Waste treatment mechanisms, whether biological or chemical, have gradually become part of original plant construction blueprints and plans. The purpose of making managers aware of the natural environment is not to turn them into ecologists or earth scientists, but rather to make them aware of the issues they will face when constructing a new factory or expanding an old one.
This book assumes that for the next few decades the earth will have the capacity to provide most of the resources needed for industrial development, with the exception perhaps of copper, fresh water, and oil. The capacity of the land, air, and water to absorb human wastes, however, is an entirely different matter. The manager is strongly advised to exercise extreme caution and take every measure necessary to make sure that plants are built and operated with the latest safety features. Managers must resist the temptation to forgo expenditures for pollution controls designed to ensure the safety of the people who work and live in close proximity to a factory. Union Carbide's accident in Bhopal, India should be adequate warning of the futility of compromising on ecological considerations even when local governments lack requirements.
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